What Would YOU Do for the DELTA QUEEN?

Thanks, Jim, for the info on what railroads require. I can see that there would likely be no special preferences given. As you can see from the responses, licensed officers likely are not a problem with this venture, though I haven't seen any engineers respond yet. (Kenny? Gary? where are you?)

Now all we need is for them to donate the DQ to a non profit and use it as a write off. Then we could negotiate with the np. to charter it long term.

Jim, someone has already looked into this exact thing--someone who has the $$ and the legal know-how to do it. It turned out to be much harder than you would think. I'm not sure that he thinks it is a dead issue, but he is a very smart man, with the machinery behind him to figure it out. And he has pursued this for over a year. Oh, if I just could win the lottery--but I guess you have to buy a ticket first!

Just a Pipe Dream...

With over 500 hits on this thread already, and with so many generous benevolent pledges to contribute to the continuation of the DELTA QUEEN should this pipe dream* of mine have a chance for reality if the boat isn't exempted, I am proud and pleased, but not surprised except that I didn't hear any pledges, other than Cap'n Bob's, to support the DELTA QUEEN from the passenger side.

I would eventually like to hear some input from other members of the present crew (Thank you, Mary) who are awaiting the final fate of the Queen so they'll know if they will have jobs to return to next season. Keep your fingers crossed, Crew, for miracles do happen. I know, for I was once in the same pickle as you. My sincerest wish is that 2009 will find you in the shipyard, aboard the DELTA QUEEN, getting her ready for another glorious season.

Should the worst happen, though, I would rather see the DELTA QUEEN cruising under her own steam on the Mississippi River and tribs, operating in a different mode than before, instead of moldering in some backwater slough or slumbering along some city front as a floating restaurant and boatel. So I concocted this scenario to feel of the pulse of this board to see how far some folks might go to SAVE THE DELTA QUEEN. The experiment was a success.

The boat can get the right people, though licensed steam engineers will be the hardest to find. They always are. The most difficult people to find, however, will be the "Owners"; those experienced riverboat folks with enough good sense to find good managers to operate the boat they way it could be done. They are out there, but these are tough times for them, too.

This thread could go on forever. Any, and all, ideas would continue to be welcome. Please feel free to express your thoughts on this scenario, or another of your own choosing, but pray that the only condition will be no change at all, and the DELTA QUEEN will be allowed to continue to carry a full load of passengers in the overnight trade.

* Pipe Dreams. I haven't had a good one in years, and this thread has helped to rekindle the dormant flame. For the record: three of my dreams from the 1970's, concocted between river jobs, became realities and made millions, but not for me, for I either sold out early, or, as in one particular case, was tossed out after I dared to dream them. Today, they are in full operation and though I am not connected with any of them, I am as proud of their success as I would be for my own children.

Jamie,
I like your idea. In that scenario, then there would be grant oppotunities from the National Trust, National Park Service, DOT, etc. As a for-profit operation, the DQ just can't get grants from federal and state agencies, such as the National Trust. Those agencies cater to non-profits, and especially non-profits setup for educational (such as "Historic") applications.

The problem then is having a staff of grant writers to continuously submit grants to keep the DQ funded. And it would take a LOT of funding and fundraising. It's tough enough for us to get grants for the Barbara H with our non-profit. But we are small potatos in a bad economy...

My former boat (a 150 pax sternwheel excursion boat in northern Indiana) took our advice and converted from for-profit to non-profit in 2007. They are doing very well with the concept. So well that they have not completed the steps for getting that 1929 boat on the Historic List, which was the original idea, and would give them much more opportunities. For the DQ, the historic nominations have been in place for years. The Str. PORTLAND's non-profit receives DOT grants for operation and maintenance.

Need something for the general public to want

Sounds like getting the volunteers needed is going to be a done deal. To build in the other steam railroad analogy, look at the steam powered Cumbress and Toltec, owned by two states and operated by a contractor. All the basic safety and railroad (that is FRA mandated) items are conducted by paid contractor labor which is repsonsible for training and ensureing these folks are qualified. There is a big support group called "Friends of the C&TS" that donate many weekends each year to restoring equipment, buildings, painting stuff, etc. Some even ride the train and provide historical discussions, kind of like a railroadlorian. Trackwork and equipment repairs, due to both liability and funding, are done by the operating contractor. We could so the same for much of the non-operating essential items.
HOWEVER, just like the CATS RR can't run solely for rail enthusiasts (I doubt if steamboat'n folks can provide enough day to day passengers), they have to dumb down the ride a bit for the general public. The DQ might need some basic amenities that cost money but would attract new blood to the steamboatin' experience. Once hooked they will likely become unpaid volunteers as well. So to start, you will need some type of organized (optional cost, of course) shore trips that folks can spend time on, then bring them back to the boat for dinner. At night, some will be able to stay on board; others will get a transfer to hotels. In some cases, the DQ could be underway in the morning, then meet up in the early afternoon to pick up those on shore tours, then stop again to let off those that have a hotel night. More stops, but who ever took a trip on the DQ to get from A to B fast?

Look at the DQ operation: It takes maybe 7-8 hours to travel upriver from New Orleans to Oak Alley, and a bit more to Baton Rouge. By land each segment is less than 2 hours using a bus from hotels. Similar shuttles can be made at other locations along the river. You could split passengers into groups and have them overnight in hotels nearby so each gets an overnight on the DQ. Tour agents could give out small overnight bags to use for those who need to stay landside at night, leaving most of the stuff in day cabins. Bus transfers could be handled by the hotels. Although this would involve a lot more planning, it sounds feasible.

A lot more can be planned, but for me, I really enjoyed just staying on the boat as it traveled up or down the river. The "all day cruising" segments were my favorite anyway, as you get to see the river as it is working. Let’s try it.

OK, I'll ask the BIG question....What would it take for a clever person, BS in Architectural Engineering, 31 years design experience, professionally licensed as a mechanical engineer for 27 years, in 6 states to become a Steamboat Engineer? I gotta believe there is some commonality in requirements here...just doing a little thinking outside the box.

Look in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): 46CFR, parts 1 to 40, subpart 10. You can pull it up on the Government printing office website and print all the requirements off if you want. U.S. Government Printing Office Home Page. It will take a tad of rooting thru the gpo site.

What if temporary semi-volunteer positions were offered for DQ cruises? Would that allow such people to be considered "crew" rather than "passengers"? For instance, if a person pays a discounted rate for "space" and is therefore agreeable to working part time during the time he or she is aboard and that person is assigned an area for off duty rest time such as in a block of "former passenger cabins" on, say the sun deck, does that remove that person from being considered an "overnight passenger"? Suppose the cabins on the sun deck were only used for these special crew members and the regular passengers paying full fare occupy the ones opening to the Betty Blake Lounge plus however many more on the Texas deck that would be needed to fill out a maximum of 49 spaces. Would this allow the DQ to continue in overnight service and remain legal?

Part time work expected could include time working the gift shop, light cleaning duties, riverlorian, checking passes when folks go ashore and return, etc. The big jobs would still have to be carried out by an experienced crew.

Any thoughts?

-Jim Herron

Sounds like a great idea. And sounds like allot of paper work dealing with so many part time temps. Since I'm in the mortgage business and know all about useless paperwork - sounds like that's the part time temp job for me!!! G320 was my very first cabin. I'd be glad to take it again!